Fresh horse manure.

[HeyWayne]

I had a load of horse manure delivered at the weekend (see blog for details), and there's a fair amount of it.

I have a few options as I see it:

• leave it in a great big pile to rot down
• spread it on the ground like a mulch
• dig it in now ready for spring
• use it as a table centre piece

What would you do?

[smallblueplanet]

Well I wouldn't use it as a table centrepiece!

[ChocClare]

From sad experience I can report that if you dig it in now you will get mushrooms later - which you may or may not want!

If rather than leaving it in a big pile you put it in something confined - eg a "box" made from four pallets stood on end and each side joined to the next with cable ties to form a bottomless topless cube - level the top and put a layer of soil on top it will make a fantastic hot bed. If you then put a sheet of glass or plastic over the top you would quickly have a mini heated "greenhouse" thing. Or something. Whatever. A place to start off some seedlings anyway. Then it'll rot down into compost later and the heat will have killed off the mushroom spores.

However - unlike smallblueplanet - I feel that a table centrepiece would be an innovative home improvement. Perhaps you could send it to Martha Stewart (the idea, rather than the actual horse manure... or then again...)

[Hazel at the Hill]

I'd bung the whole damn lot over the quarter of your plot that you're going to grow spuds in, let the worms have a crack at it for a couple of months then a little light forking over and you can plant the potatoes.

Certainly don't put it anywhere near your carrots/parsnips.

Oh - I'd save a bit for your squash/pumpkins tho'

From experience, if you are going to put it anywhere except for in a heap, drag the bags to where you want to empty them, or else you empty the bags (um... like wot you have done...) then have to shovel it all into a barrow and empty the barrow where you want the muck. Bit of duplication of effort there...

[Hole Digger]

Hi Wayne, Just to confuse matters i would get a good heavy sheet over the top to get some heat into it, it'll help to get rid of some of the weed seeds that hoss muck tends to be full of,then dig it in next autumn.Bet you dont though

[Snadger]

I had a load of horse manure delivered at the weekend (see blog for details), and there's a fair amount of it.

I have a few options as I see it:

• leave it in a great big pile to rot down
• spread it on the ground like a mulch
• dig it in now ready for spring
• use it as a table centre piece

What would you do?

Is it straw and sh*t? If so I would spread it on the beds!
Is it woodshavings and sh*t? If so I would leave it where it was and compost it!
Whatever sh*t it is don't dig it in and waste it!
If its non of the above, use it as a table centre!

[terrier]

If you want to store it, put it in builders dumpy bags and cover over. It keeps it nice and tidy. Then in the cold february weather, you can climb on top with your wellies on and keep your feet nice and warm.